CM Punk was fired by Tony Khan and AEW.
CM Punk’s tumultuous tenure with AEW came to its merciful end this weekend when Tony Khan fired CM Punk, effective immediately.
“All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has terminated the wrestler and employment agreements between Phillip Brooks (CM Punk) and AEW with cause, effective immediately,” read an official statement from AEW. “The termination was confirmed today by Tony Khan, CEO, General Manager, and Head of Creative of AEW.”
“Phil played an important role within AEW and I thank him for his contributions. The termination of his AEW contracts with cause is ultimately my decision, and mine alone,” said Khan as part of the statement.
CM Punk Fired From AEW: The Ugly Aftermath
Punk’s ousting came as a result of AEW’s latest Punk-related investigation, this time stemming from a backstage fight with Jungle Boy Jack Perry over Perry’s use of real glass. Punk’s “Brawl In” proved to be the final straw almost one year to the day since the “Brawl Out.” Timing has certainly not been on AEW’s side in 2023. Despite making history through All In breaking the paid-attendance record with 81,035 tickets sold, AEW making history has taken a backseat to its present-day fiasco involving CM Punk. Punk’s firing comes on the first day of stiff competition from college football, among other mainstream sports, and on a day when AEW Collision needed Punk the most.
AEW Collision was always going to face tough sledding given the murderers’ row of head-to-head competition on Saturday nights. UFC prelims and WWE Premium Live Events have done a number on Collision’s viewership. The August 5 broadcast of Collision went head-to-head with SummerSlam, and it garnered just 417,000 viewers, down from 739,000 viewers the week prior. Collision’s total viewership was the lowest in the history of the show, while its 0.13 rating in the 18-49 demographic represented a more than 50% drop in the key demo. That broadcast featured CM Punk in the main event defending his now-defunct Real World Championship against Ricky Starks.
Moving forward, against even stiffer competition, AEW will not have the luxury of leaning on Phil Brooks.
In addition to Saturday’s slate of college football games, Saturday’s episode of AEW Collision also had to contend with WWE Payback. Though Payback is not nearly as daunting as SummerSlam, the combination of Payback and college football render a CM Punk-less AEW Collision extremely skippable. Ironically enough, the news of Punk’s firing may have been a saving grace as it is sure to spark curiosity in the post-CM Punk/apocalyptic era of the show. But once the dust settles from Punk’s latest controversy, Collision will need to regroup in a hurry since Tony Khan’s plans were to build the show around Punk.
With AEW Rampage already rendered a lame-duck show, it will be tough for AEW Collision to avoid the same fate without its biggest—and most troubled—star.
